January 20, 2008
A PRIMER ON BOTTLE-BILL PROPOSAL
Governor's description of plan
Specifics:
- Expand the bottle bill from only carbonated and alcoholic beverages to include water, tea and sports drinks and help reduce litter across the state. An additional 335 million containers would be covered by the new bill.
- Increase the bottle-bill deposit from 5 cents to 10 cents. The governor's office says 10 cents - rather than 7 cents, which could also generate 2 cents - will do more to encourage recycling.
- Dedicate 1 cent of the deposit toward the environment (Resource Enhancement and Protection program, or REAP) and 1 cent toward grocers and redemption centers.
Why expansion matters:
- In 1980, a year after the original bottle bill took effect, Iowa Department of Transportation reported a 38 percent drop in roadside litter.
- Under the current bottle bill, an estimated 86 percent of beverage containers, or 1.65 billion, are redeemed annually in Iowa. It is projected the number of bottles redeemed could increase by 200 million cans and bottles annually.
- The current deposit law prevents litter and recycles 82,352 tons of material per year.
Why fully fund REAP:
- The projects it supports are shown to have positive impacts on local economies. Projects - such as trails and watersheds - enhance rural and urban economies and help keep young-adult Iowans in Iowa.
- It helps city, county and state governments acquire public conservation and recreation lands, and it funds state parks.
Source: Governor's office
Where money goes
Resource Enhancement and Protection program, or REAP, is the state's premier program for funding outdoor recreation.
It provides money for projects through four state agency budgets or in the form of grants. The money now comes from Iowa gaming receipts and the sale of the natural-resource license plate.
The first $350,000 each year goes to conservation education. A small amount is dedicated to state administration. The remainder goes to finance open spaces, city parks and trails, soil and water enhancement, county conservation, state land management, historical resources and roadside vegetation.
Examples of how money was used in recent years include:
- $100,000 for a 2.35-mile multi-use trail connecting Waukee to the Raccoon River Valley Trail.
- $98,306 for the Hale Bridge relocation and restoration project in Anamosa. The bridge, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, offers pedestrian and bicycle access to a state park.
- $49,340 for the city of Olin to purchase 17.8 acres of pasture land, doubling the size of a park. The property was developed with a natural-surface trail, picnic areas and restored prairie.
- $200,000 for the city of Council Bluffs to acquire and restore 10 acres of remnant prairie adjoining the existing Vincent Bluff. Site improvements include an environmental kiosk/shelter.
- $200,000 toward a recreational-trail project in Dubuque that will eventually link the city's urban extension of the Heritage Trail, which connects to riverfront attractions and the Mines of Spain State Recreation Area.
- $52,000 for an asphalt trail in Creston, uniting other trails built in separate segments.
To find out about other projects that have been awarded REAP dollars, visit www.iowadnr.gov/reap/roadside.html.
Learn more
To find out more about bottle bills in Iowa and other states, as well as federal legislation introduced to require a 5-cent deposit on every beverage container sold in the country, visit www.container-recycling.org.
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080120/OPINION03/801200322/1110
